The Daughter of Iron Man

Glass Cage

***TRIGGER WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VIOLENT CONTENT THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME READERS.

Everyday is a little harder and as days turn to weeks, my hope slowly fades.

It's been nearly a month since Hydra captured me and I hate to admit it, but I've gotten used to being here. But the longer I'm here, the less I'm treated like a human being.

I was never given a bed to sleep on, only a thin sheet as a blanket that did nothing to protect me from the cold cement floor beneath me. And after an attempt to pry open a panel I found in my cell with a fork, I'm no longer given utensils. And recently, they've been taking me for "walks" so that I'm not just sitting in my cell day after day. I almost think the walks would be enjoyable if it weren't for the cuffs they use on me to drain my energy, and for the four guards carrying spears with tips that will electrocute me if I misbehave. And even when I do as I'm told, occasionally the guards will "accidentally" touch me with the tips for their own amusement.

I'm no longer their prisoner, I'm their pet.

The only thing that's kept me going for this long is James reminding me every chance he gets that SHIELD is closer to getting me out of here. But recently, I've began to wonder just how close we really are.

Each day here is the same for me. I get 3 meals a day at the same times, I'm walked in the mornings and the evenings, and the mind control man works with me in my cell every day in the morning for what feels like hours. The scary thing about the mind control man, is that everything James warned me about him is right.

The mind control man seems like a completely normal guy who probably has a nice family at home. His name is Matt, and he has platinum blond hair with a radiant smile and kind eyes. And unlike everyone else here, he gets to wear whatever he wants which is usually polo shirts and jeans or slacks. James says he's been using some sort of hypnosis on me, but since I've been refusing to let him in I've made Matt's job rather difficult. But the thing that really scares me, is that everyday his methods are more difficult to fight.

Even though my cell is made of extremely strong glass and a cold cement floor, recently it's been the only thing that brings me comfort. It's become a sort of safe place, a place that no one else here really goes. And even though it feels like I'm living in a fishbowl, it's my space to do as I please. And most of the time, the guards don't care what I do in my free time as long as it doesn't interfere with any of Hydra's plans for me.

I sat on my concrete floor and watched beyond the glass, watching the same people whose faces have become familiar. A few weeks ago, I began playing a game with myself, making up names and scenarios for all of them even if I don't know anything about their actual lives.

I watched as a woman passed, one of the characters in my game. She has black graying hair with shallow eyes, and is usually wearing a lab coat. I named her Ruby. Ruby spends most of her days working behind her desk, but she hates it. She misses being an agent, though she was forced to quit after being shot in the knee 10 years ago.

One of my guards who I named Dave, is a big muscular guy with tan skin and neatly cut black hair. He originally wanted to be a professional dancer, but his parents wouldn't let him. So, he hung up his tutu and picked up a giant gun to become a guard for Hydra. But every night, he still dances alone in his room to sugar plum fairy.

My other guard is just as jacked as Dave, though his skin is a little lighter. I named him Egg for his shaved head, and he also carries around a massive gun. Egg failed every class he ever took, and eventually dropped out of high school. His parents kicked him out after that, and he joined a crime ring. When they were caught and everyone in his ring was arrested except for him, he joined Hydra.